Tourniquet
by Kijo Asuka
Summary: -"Hinata. Sweet, bashful Hinata. She deserves nothing more than the best. Alas, she loves one who doesn't realize that the pebble he holds in his hand is truly a pearl." dark, angsty fic. "Hidden beneath the depths of darkness, there is a light..."


**Note:**

WARNING: This fic shall later contain attempted suicides, cutting of the flesh, evil plots, angst, depression, and Sakura bashing. If any of the aforementioned make you uncomfortable, piss you off, or annoy you, leave now, whilst you can...

Let me see... Chiaki, you didn't like this. You thought it wasn't believable. Ryou, you liked it. You thought it was believable. I wrote this, I liked it, and sorry, Chiaki; I'm not going to alter it again, it would mess with my plot. :( But I hope you still like it!! ThanX, Ryou, for pointing out the spelling errors. :)

**Disclaimer: Me? Rich? NAH! Me Kishimoto? Ah, no. But a fangirl can dream, can't she? If only I owned all those hawt ninjas... -sigh- But, alas, I don't. -glares at picture of Masashi Kishimoto-**

This fic was originally inspired by AFI's _Affliction_, then by Evanescence's _Tourniquet_, and finally, by Evanescence's _Missing_. You'll see what I mean later on...

I hope you like it!!

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_Hinata. Sweet, bashful Hinata. She deserves nothing more than the best. Alas, she loves one who doesn't realize that the pebble he holds in his hand is truly a pearl. _

Wet tears streamed down her face. She was in her room, curled on her bed, and her mind refused to stop thinking about what she had witnessed.

_"Sakura-chan! Don't be so loud! Someone might hear us!" Naruto yelled, quite loudly. _

_"Shut up, baka! There's no one here!" and they commenced making out and such, unaware Hinata was walking with Kiba and Akamaru on their way to see Kurenai-sensei and her new child. Hinata pretended she didn't see. Kiba saw, but thought Hinata hadn't, so he didn't say anything. Kiba tried to make sure she hadn't seen or heard._

_"Did you get a new hair cut, Hinata?" He asked._

_"No, um, I just got my hair trimmed, to um, pre-prevent split ends." She said, furiously blushing, because she though Kiba hadn't seen or that it had all been her imagination. But she was struggling with herself to keep her emotions concealed. _

Her tears fell faster as she remembered her first date.

_"Iitenki desu ne, Hinata!" He beamed at her. It was, in fact, a nice day. The sun was shining, there was a light, warm breeze, and it was her first date ever, with the boy she loved. _

_"Sou de-desu ne." She smiled timidly, her pink blush deepening. She had managed not to faint. She felt accomplished and proud for herself. _

_"What do you want to order, Hinata-chan!" _

_"Um.. some.. ra-ramen.." Her face reddened slighty. _

_"OI! Ramen for me and my DATE!!" And she lost consciousness. _

_She awoke, slowly, and opened her eyes a little. Someone had layed gently on several chairs. She opened her eyes some more, disoriented. Sakura, Lee, and Kiba had joined Naruto at the ramen bar. Sakura was sitting next to him and clinging to his arm as if she would fall. Sakura was sitting in the chair that was meant for Hinata, and eating the ramen Hinata was supposed to be eating. Embarrassed, Hinata pretended she was still unconscious. She heard snippets of a conversation. _

_"Sakura-chan, why won't you hold on to my arm?" She immediately knew that was Rock Lee. _

_"Yes. Why. Don't. You?" Kiba snarled. _

_"Ah, Lee, Naruto, Kiba.. I have to go, right now.. I have to go roll bandages with Shizune." Then a loud slurping noise and a burp was heard. _

_"I'll go with you, Sakura-chan! I'll help you roll bandages!!" She recognized her date's excited voice. _

_"What. About. Hinata?" Kiba, snarled. Again. Hinata breifly wondered why he was so angry. 'Maybe he didn't sleep well.' She thought._

_"Eh, Hinata-chan is sleeping! I can't disturb her rest!!"_

_"Then-" Lee started._

_"Kiba! Can you take Hinata home after she wakes up!?" She heard Naruto yell. It seemed he was halfway across the street. _

XxXxX

_Everyone knows. Everyone hears, everyone sees. _Including Hinata.

_No one is truly deaf, blind, and dumb. Everyone understands when something is up. Especially when it is messily concealed from beneath your nose. _

She can see the way Sakura and Naruto act with each other. She can hear the noises they make when they think no one's looking or hearing.

She saw them at the bar, on her way to a mission. They were stumbling out, practically fucking, on their way to Sakura's or Naruto's place. Hinata didn't want to think about it, as she bit her lip to keep from sobbing.

She heard them in the training forest, as she ran overhead, Lee and Tenten were with her. Lee was too naive to understand the _sounds_ coming from below, but Tenten clenched her fists and sent them a death glare they were to occupied to notice. Hinata, in that moment, transformed into an ice queen. No emotion passed her face. But the turmoil that lay within, in the depths of her heart, her _soul_, would have caused a lesser person to scream in anguish, and send their grieving soul to the cold, un-touched floor of a deep river.

XxXxX

How is Hinata involved in all this? Naruto is supposedly her boyfriend. Her _man_. He started it.

_"Oi, Hinata-chan!" He grinned at her, making her blush uncontrollably._

_"Hhhh... hhhh...hhhhhh--"_

_"Wanna go to get ramen with me?!"_

_"Y-yes." Her moment of bravery, the one and only barely stuttered 'yes'. _

HE is the one who insists they continue such a painful charade. He is the one juggling the delicate, fragile white rose coldly as he focuses on the spunky, unstable cherry blossom.

We are aware Hinata isn't blind. But is there the possibility Sakura is unable to _see_?

No. There isn't.

_"I never, like, thought you would like Naruto soo much, Forehead."_

_"Well, he's good at it, you know!"_

_"He is? I never pictured him that way!"_

_"Yeah. He makes all the stress from the Hospital and strenuous training with Tsunade disappear."_

_"But isn't he going out with Hinata?"_

_"Not that I know of. It's an useless rumor. He told me."_

_"You can tell me, Forehead. No one's around."_

_"Fine, Pig. They are 'going out'. He asked her out 3 weeks after we started hooking up."_

_"WHAT!?"_

_"Pig, promise you won't tell __anyone__."_

_"Fine, Forehead. I promise. Now tell me everything!"_

_"Well, a drunk civilian dared him to ask out the nearest Kuniochi. A day later, he asked her out, because she was the first kuniochi he saw."_

_"Besides you, of course!"_

_"Yeah, but we're supposed to be a secret. My father has these plans to marry me off to some civilian."_

_"Are you serious? Wait, don't you feel bad about Hinata?"_

_"Not really. She's too shy and boring to interest me much."_

_"But she really __**does**__ love Naruto."_

_"Does it matter? He'll never love her back. She should be happy I'm sharing him as much as I am."_

END OF PRELUDE

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Hope I fixed all errors/typos!

So, didst thou like it?

**"I allow reviewers to live.." remarked my occasionally loyal slave/servant/assassin, Near, as he smirked at you, whilst he held a silver, ruby-studded dagger.**

I shall update when my muse orders me to. But reviews please my muse, and make me update faster!!

-Kijo Asuka


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